


The Recluse

by Wolf_of_Winterfell



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-05-08 11:19:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5495264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_of_Winterfell/pseuds/Wolf_of_Winterfell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the apparent death of the Stark family, Sandor Clegane is sent to secure a decaying Winterfell for its new owner. He finds way more than he expected! </p><p>Short ficlet, Happy New Year everyone!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Snow

Sandor Clegane approached the isolated house, it was vast. Snow had a habit of making ugly things look nicer but it couldn't hide years of neglect. Windows near the top of the house were cracked and broken, some had been boarded up and others had been left. Ivy grew up the side of the building and had grown in through cracks in the stone. Sandor could see at least one hole in the roof, the tiles had slipped and cracked. The crumbling pile before him was exceeded in bleakness only by the landscape around it, white nothingness as far as the eye could see.

He sat in his car and observed the grey stone house. The letterbox at the end of the road said "Winterfell". It was the only house for miles, this had to be it. The chimney belched smoke, the house must be occupied but the person occupying it was the information he wanted to know.

He gingerly got out of the car and called his dog to heel, Stranger jumped out unwillingly. The black dog stared at him. "What you looking at you daft bugger? You have a fur coat, I don't! If I'm going then you are coming too". He looked up at the house and thought he saw a net curtain twitch, impossible to know whether he was being watched or if it was a breeze passing through the house. The big man and the German Shepherd walked to the front door, Sandor used the door knocker to rap on the door, two knocks in and it fell off in his hand. "Yeah, figures!" He stared at the knocker in his palm and rolled his eyes.

He could hear the sound of movement inside, he placed his finger over the spyhole and dropped his head down. "I can see your feet under the door. Please open it" he kept his tone firm but as friendly as he could.

A window opened directly above his head. "What do you want?" A female voice called out, he couldn't see any face to match. 

"I want to speak to you, I need to know who you are and what you're doing here" Sandor raised his voice.

"What makes you think that's anything to do with you? You presume too much, Mr...?" The voice was firm and not as friendly as he had been.

"Clegane. I've been sent to secure this house for the owner, you can't be here anymore." Sandor was keen for his exchange to come to an end, he couldn't feel his toes.

"Owner? The Starks are all long dead Mr Clegane. Ghosts can't own houses" The voice was softer and more sorrowful than it had been.

"Well, Arya Stark sent me. She is keen to rebuild this house. Are you a ghost?" Sandor's teeth were chattering now.

"Arya? Impossible.  She's been missing, presumed dead for years now. I'm no-one". The voice had taken on a colder tone.

"Arya is in Braavos and is keen to return. If she is a ghost then she's paying my fees well enough. Please come to the door and I'll slide my ID under. I won't hurt you Miss, my dog won't either but we are perishing here". It wasn't in his nature to appear weak and pathetic but he was worried about Stranger. These northern winters were like nothing he'd ever experienced. 

"Dog?" The window shut before he had chance to respond.

Sandor had turned away when he heard the door open. He turned around and was staring down the barrel of a shotgun. As the adrenaline started to course through his veins, he didn't pay much attention to the hands holding it.


	2. ID

"Woah!" His hands flew up in surrender. He kicked himself mentally, he should have seen it coming. Remote places like this often had suspicious people and protection, wolves and thieves were not uncommon in these parts. Idiot!

By his side, he heard Stranger growl. His ears were pinned against his head, his teeth were bared and his hackles were raised. He was poised to jump at the person threatening his master and Sandor knew he would do some damage. In a flash of movement faster than his eye could track, a dog ran and positioned itself between Stranger and the person holding the gun. It was big, it dwarfed Stranger and made him look like a pup. Sandor's eyes widened. It wasn't a dog. It was a wolf. Stranger held his ground, unperturbed. Crazy dog would take on a kraken if he thought Sandor was in danger.

"That's a direwolf, in case you were wondering. He doesn't take too kindly to outsiders". The voice from the window was in front of him.

"Stranger, back off" Sandor spoke firmly to his dog. He backed away and sheathed his teeth but didn't look happy about it. The direwolf stayed in place, its amber eyes were looking at Sandor, Sandor was hoping he didn't look like dinner. 

"I want you to show me your ID and I want the truth about who sent you.  The nearest house is 8 miles from here, if you are lying then I will shoot you and no-one will hear it. You'll be dead and buried days before anyone would think to look here." Sandor finally took a good look at his captor. He gaped. The red head looked little different than the last time he had seen her.

"Sansa! Don't you know me?" He regretted it the moment it left his lips.

She looked alarmed, "Why would I recognise you?" Her grip tightened on the shotgun.

"You knew me years ago, I worked for the Lannisters when you lived in Kings Landing". He knew instantly that he'd made it worse.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE? Have you come to finish the job the Lannisters started?" Her wolf was creeping forward, spurred on by the distress in her voice. Sandor couldn't back away, would it pounce if it thought he was escaping?

"Let me get my wallet out and you'll see that Arya sent me! I hate the fucking Lannisters! You know that". He reached slowly into his jacket pocket and found his wallet, he brought it out slowly and offered it to her.

She took the wallet out of his hands and lowered the gun. "Please don't assume that you're safe because the gun is down, a direwolf can do much more damage. He will tear you apart if he thinks you're going to try anything. Grey Wind, guard him". At her command, the wolf moved, his nose only an inch from Sandor's leg. Truth be told, this lumbering beast could sit on him and he'd not be able to do much about it.

"There's 2 letters in there and my ID" Sandor hoped the situation wouldn't deteriorate any further.

Frowning, she rooted through the wallet and fished out a card. "Sandor Clegane, 35. Eye colour - Grey. Director of Clegane Security Services." She eyed the card suspiciously. "Give me your phone". He handed it over. 

She pressed some buttons on the phone and looked at him warily. "Hello. My name is Mrs Mordane. May I speak to Sandor Clegane please? Oh, he's taken some personal time off. I see. Maybe you can help me...Shae? I was thinking about hiring him for some work I need undertaking. Can you tell me what type of man he is please? I assure you it will just be between us, I won't work with someone I can't trust. Right. Yes. I see. Whisky you say? Haha, yes I understand. Lastly, what's he like to work for? Again, what you say will be kept in the strictest confidence. The work is very sensitive and I need to be sure......." She listened intently for a few minutes, her face devoid of expression. Finally, she met his gaze, her eyes locking with his. "I understand. Thanks so much for your help Shae,  I will be in touch. Bye". 

She stared at him unflinchingly,  "Grey Wind, come. You'd better come in. Bring your dog". She spun around and stalked back into the house, shotgun slung casually over her arm and wolf trotting by her feet.

"Come on Stranger". Sandor led the dog into the house, unsure of what to expect.

 

...............

 

As Sandor crossed the threshold,  he could see that the inside was much better looked after than the outside.  It was cosy and she had tried to make it homely.

Sansa turned into a kitchen and placed a pot on the stove. "Please, warm yourselves by the fire". She motioned, Stranger took no convincing, his traitorous mutt had sought out a headscratch from the woman he would have bitten not 10 minutes before. She obliged and the black dog plonked himself right in front of the fire beside the direwolf, eyes closed and snoring in no time. Sandor's eyes widened slightly at her suggestion.  "Don't worry, I said 'by' not 'in'." She raised her eyebrow at him.

"So you do remember me then". Sandor rubbed his scarred face involuntarily.  

"Of course I do. I have had to be so careful since the last time we saw each other, sentimentality doesn't keep you alive" Sansa busied herself making tea, her back faced him.

"How have you survived all this time? I was told you died a few years back" Sandor's heart had broken when he was told Sansa's body had been recovered from a gorge.

"No-one would think to look for a dead woman, it suited me so I saw no need to correct the misinformation spread about me". Sansa was matter of fact. 

"How have you lived here by yourself?" Sandor was incredulous. The Sansa he had known was helpless, she wouldn't have raised her voice, lied or thought about raising a gun to someone.

"Have you heard the expression 'The North Remembers' and do you know what it means?" Sansa put a cup of tea in front of him and sat opposite. Sandor shook his head.

"It means that people here remember my family and the great injustice done to us, they try to help me if they can. I do small jobs for them and in return, they supply me with food I can't hunt or grow. Winter lasts a long time here, rations aren't plentiful but I get by. Grey Wind goes hunting and gets his own food.". 

Sandor gaped at the idea of her hunting. The Sansa he had known had pretty manners and delicate sensibilities. Her mother had raised her to be nobility, royalty even. She had come close, her betrothal to Joffrey Lannister ended in disaster. He looked at the woman sat opposite him, "Are you going to tell me how you got here?"

She was silent, regarding him with a gaze that seemed to lay his soul bare to the woman sat before him.


	3. Zephyr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandor and Sansa catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas to anyone reading who celebrates.
> 
> I hope you all have a lovely day :)

Her gaze lingered, Sandor could feel the weight of it all over his face. The little bird he had known would not have openly stared at him for so long. She would have lowered her eyes, blushed and then stumbled over her courtesies. 

"Not yet, it's been a hell of a day. Tell me about you". She lowered her eyes.

He coughed. "Not much to tell really. I left the Lannisters as soon as I could after you disappeared. Since then, I set up my own business and have been working hard ever since."

"Is there a Mrs Clegane now?" She enquired innocently.

"Yeah Little Bird, the women are queuing up from here to Kings Landing for my fair hand in marriage" He barked a laugh at his own joke.

"You shouldn't be alone, you deserve someone who makes you happy" Sansa's voice was almost a whisper.

He looked at her sadly, "There was only ever one who made me happy. You shouldn't be alone either".

Sansa dropped her eyes. "I've been alone here now for the best part of 10 years, except for the odd visit from neighbours. I'm used to it".

Sandor was shocked. "You've been here the whole time? Why are you here by yourself?"

The look on her face was heartbreaking, "The outside world doesn't hold any interest to me anymore. I don't trust people like i used to. The last time I did, I lost everything. You told me once that people weren't always as they seemed,  I wish I had listened".

"Arya is still alive and in Braavos, she is your family. She is serious about coming back but she doesn't know you are alive." Sandor couldn't think of any other way to console her.

"We'll see" Sansa's voice was hollow, he had expected a more emotional response. 

.............

 

Sandor had been with Sansa for a few hours. Conversation ebbed and flowed, they exchanged the type of pleasantries that he'd always hated but he was so glad she was alive, he would have listened to her read the phone directory if it mewnt spending time with her. There were periods of silence. He noticed that Sansa no longer chirped to fill gaps in conversation as she used to. Sandor realised it had been snowing, it was coming down thick and fast. The flakes were the largest he'd ever seen.

"Right. Well. It's been bloody brilliant to see you little bird and I'm really happy you're still alive but I have to be going back before it gets too heavy. Come on Stranger". The dog in front of the fire twitched but showed no signs of following his master's command.

Sansa laughed. For the first time since he had arrived, her face softened into the face of the girl he knew, the innocent girl with the world at her feet. "I think it may have escaped your notice but look at your car". Sansa pointed to the window behind him.

He glanced out and swore, the only parts of the car he could see were the tops of the windows and the roof. "Fuck me bloody! It hasn't been snowing that long has it?" He couldn't believe it!

"We are as far north as we can go, without crossing the Wall. When it snows, it really snows! Guess you'll be staying for a while then?" Sansa was matter of fact.

He nodded.

..........

 

Sansa made more tea and brought them both over a bowl of stew and some bread.

Sandor gulped the stew thankfully,  it didn't have much meat in but the chunks were tender. He could identify potatoes, carrots and leeks. "This is lovely, thanks". 

"I'm sorry it isn't much but I do what I can". Sansa slid the small butter dish over towards him, he buttered his bread. The bread was so fresh and soft, it melted in his mouth. 

"Mmmmmm!" His eyes were closed, it had to be the best bread he'd ever tasted. 

"Glad you like it, I made it fresh this morning". She smiled at him, her blue eyes sparkled. 

"You made this?" His mouth opened in shock.

She laughed deeply. "I've had to learn things I never thought I'd need to know. My mother taught me to sew and how to hold conversation but bread making, hunting and firing a gun were never on her agenda for me". She looked down at the table, lost in the mists of the past.

Sandor reached for her hand and held it in his. "Please little bird, tell me how you came to be here. I've been kicking myself every day for the last 10 years, wondering what I could have done differently to keep you alive and us together". He wasn't used to begging but with her it was different. 

"You might wish you hadn't asked. Are you sure you want to know?" She seemed to be imploring him to change his mind.

"I do". Sandor's voice was soft but firm. "The reality can't be any worse than I've imagined over the years".

Her face was unreadable, something which he found unsettling.


	4. Can't tell me nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit later than expected, sorry about that.

Sansa made another drink to keep them warm and lit another couple of candles before she sat down opposite him. The candlelight flickered over her skin, it mesmorised Sandor and he stared at her without remorse.

"The last time I saw you, you were in my room in the Lannister house. My parents and brothers had already been murdered by them, Arya, Bran and Rickon disappeared off the face of the Earth. I was the only one left, purely because Joffrey wanted a plaything and they believed Winterfell had wealth and a reputation they could trade on. You wanted to help me escape, I was ready to go with you. I would have followed you anywhere Sandor. You scared me at first but you were the only decent one in the lot of them. They treated you badly too, I see that now". She paused.

"When you asked me to leave with you, I said yes and we were meant to get our things together, you were going to come back to my room and then we were going to leave. I waited an hour for you but you never turned up. I thought you'd changed your mind, so I snuck out and tried to find you to change your mind but the Lannister men were crawling all over your room. I stole a car from the garage and drove as fast as I could." Sansa's expression was strained.

"I drove until the fuel tank ran dry, then I dumped the car. I hitchhiked and walked the rest of the way. I took the long way around, stopping off in small towns and villages on the way. It took months for me to get back here. The Lannisters had already sacked Winterfell and given up looking for me. I managed to make a few of the rooms habitable and some of my father's friends helped me get set up. Here I am. Some might say different but alive nonetheless". She looked mournful.

"You hitchiked?! Do you know how dangerous that is?" Sandor was touched by a rage he hadn't felt in a long while.

"I know. My only options were to hitchike or wait to be caught. I know it was stupid but I had no other option. By the time I got within 39 miles of her, my father's old friend picked me up, he taught me to hunt". She looked at him, Tully blue eyes awash with tears. She spoke softly, her tone was neutral. Her question broke Sandor's heart, "Why did you leave me Sandor?"

....................

 

The question hung heavy in the air. Sansa's expression wasn't angry, it was sad and questioning.

Sandor thought back all those years to the time he was willing to sacrifice everything to get the girl out of the lion's den.

"After I left you, I was throwing my crap into a bag as quick as I could. Boros Blount had been following me and burst into my room. I managed to silence him but he alerted the guards. Bastards jumped me and locked me up for a few weeks. If you hadn't escaped when you did, they would have come for you next and your punishment would have been much worse. Please believe me little bird, there's nothing I wouldn't have given to have been with you. I spent a good few years convinced you were dead somewhere and when they found that body and said it was you, it almost finished me off. The thought of you dying because of me..." Sandor's head dropped at the memory.

Sansa was staring at him with a strange look on her face. In a instant, she was by his side, leaning over him with her arms around his big shoulders and sobbing gently into his chest. The tears rolled down both of their faces. 

"Sandor, without you, I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. I'm sorry I let you think I was dead. I shouldn't have doubted you". Sansa's blue eyes were a haze of water.

She placed a gentle kiss on the scarred side of his face. Sandor froze as her mouth found his, a rising urgency flooded his mind. She slid her tongue in his mouth and he knew at once that he was lost.


	5. Scar Tissue

Sandor couldn't remember a time when anyone had kissed him this passionately. None of his previous girlfriends had ever affected him in the way the gorgeous redhead on his lap did. He had dated but his heart was never in it, his relationships bottomed out within a few weeks.

Sansa pulled away from him, breathless. "Fuck little bird, what was that for? Am I the only man you've seen in years?" He half joked but believed it to be true.

She gave him a haughty look that had always driven him wild. "Ok, ok. I'll stop. The last time I saw you, I was a girl. A stupid, pampered girl. I want you to see me as i am now, not as i was all those years ago. I'm a woman and I know what I want". As she stared deep into his eyes, she started unbuttoning her shirt. Sandor's mouth dropped open in surprise, her eyes never left his. Who was this person? She looked and sounded like the Sansa he had known. She was right though, she was definitely a woman grown now. As her nimble fingers worked some of her buttons free, she made a move to leave her place on his lap. He heard himself growling, a throaty and primal noise. "Where do you think you're going?" He smirked at her and squeezed her ass, she squealed in surprise and pulled his mouth towards hers once more. Her hands roamed over his back and shoulders, tracing the lines of his musculature.

Sandor's blood was fizzing in his veins. He pulled away abruptly. "I don't know why you are doing this but you'll hear no complaints from me". Evidence of his arousal had been pressing into Sansa's leg for the last 5 minutes. She pulled away from him and looked down at his face. Her hair was tousled from his hands and her lips were red and bee stung. Silently, she stood up and pulled him to his feet, he obeyed without question.

She led him through a dark corridor off the kitchen, it was originally a living room but she had made it into a bedroom. Sandor watched her light a fire in the hearth, it threw light over the room. Sansa pushed him backwards into a chair and began removing her clothes, starting with the shirt she had unbuttoned before. Sandor was mesmorised.

She threw the shirt to one side and unbuttoned her jeans, moving sideways so that he could see her shapely silhouette. His eyes alighted on the curve of her ass. This wasn't helping his arousal at all. 

As her jeans fell to the ground, she stepped out of them, clad only in a bra and a small slip of delicate lace obscuring his view of her woman's place. Sandor couldn't have formed a single syllable even if his life depended on it. 

She met his shocked eyes and began removing her bra. Sandor's grip on the arms of the chair tightened, any harder and the chair would be good only for kindling. If the chair didn't give out first then the whitened knuckles of his hands would burst through his flesh from the strength of his grip. His cock ached uncomfortably, the bulge in his jeans made his excitement clear.

As her bra fell away, her beautiful breasts were bared for his eyes to feast on, although he'd rather be using his hands and mouth on them. Smooth creamy skin gave way to pink nipples, hardening before his eyes in the cool air. She turned around with her back to him and started removing her underwear. As she removed them, her movement momentarily brushed her long hair to the side, revealing healed scars across the width of her back. Sandor growled and covered the short distance between them, with difficulty due to his engorged member.

"Who did this to you?" He grabbed her by her arms and spun her around. Silently, she placed her finger across his lips and shook her head, motioning him to be quiet. 

"I want you to make love to me". She kissed him passionately again and he knew that he couldn't hold back any longer.

She pulled his tshirt over his head and tugged on his jeans. He pulled them down and took his boxer shorts with them. The feel of her breasts against his chest was driving him insane. His cock was pressed into her belly.

Sansa fell to her knees and took him in her mouth, her soft hands cupped his balls as she began falling into a pattern of her ministrations.  The feel of her tongue over the head of his penis felt too good. "You're going to make me come!" With this, she stopped abruptly and smiled wolfishly. Wordlessly, she led him to the floor, a comfortable distance from the fire and motioned for him to sit. As he looked up, she had his wallet in her hands. Sandor was flummoxed until she retrieved a small, foil packet from the inside. She tossed the wallet aside as she ripped the packet open and passed it to him.

He'd only just finished rolling the condom on before she was on him, taking the full length of his shaft into her. He groaned, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. As she started riding him hard, her eyes opened. She became almost frenzied in her pumping of his cock, Sandor's eyes closed as his pleasure escalated. Sansa spoke for the first time. "Look at me Sandor." His eyes flew open and he saw a small smile playing on her lips. He covered her mouth with his, she slid her tongue into his mouth. He groaned as his excitement was peaking, Sansa was relentless in her pace. "Who am I Sandor?" 

"SANSA!" He yelled her name as he came harder than ever before. Panting, his release eventually stopped.

"You are mine now". Her face was resolute but her voice was soft.

He couldn't argue with with.


	6. End Credits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the Kudos and comments, your support really means a lot to me :)

They lay side by side before the fire, even the proximity of the flames couldn't entice Sandor to move. He lay on his side with his arm over Sansa, her back was pressed into his chest. He ran a hand down her arm, admiring the smoothness of her skin.

"You can try and distract me with sex again if you want but I do want to know who did this to you". He spoke carefully.

She shuddered against him, not from the cold. Sandor felt her flip over to face him.

She said three words to him, they struck through his core with a force stronger than Valeryian steel.

"The Bread Riots". She measured his response.

 

..........

 

He was dumbstruck. "You were there?"

She nodded. "I was passing through a small town not too far from Kings Landing, I forget the name. The car had run out of fuel and I limped into town, looking for provisions and information. People were starving because of the Lannisters. The riot escalated quickly,  it started off with one or two troublemakers and ended up being most of the town joining in, looting and brawling. The law enforcement and millitary were helping at Blackwater Bay, it was every soul for themselves". Sansa snuggled in closer.

Sandor paused, expecting her to continue but no other information was forthcoming. 

"Who gave you the scars?" He probed gently.

"They're dead now. Does it matter?" Sansa answered cagily.

"It matters to me". Sandor was worried by her evasion. The Sansa he had known was an open book.

She looked at him before lowering her gaze. 

"As you know, the Lannisters begrudged the cost of clothing me so they had me wear old clothes that no-one else would wear. Lannister cast offs are many times finer than the rags some of the townspeople wore. Ironic really, the Lannisters made me dress in their cast offs as an insult  to me but to the townspeople, the fact I was wearing them marked me out as someone who was responsible for their suffering too. I was wearing a pair of trousers 3 inches too short, a silk top that Cersei gave me that she said was hideous, so it would suit me. I had one of Cersei's old velvet coats on too because she said they were ugly and unfashionable, so they'd be fine for a traitor's daughter. The coat wouldn't even button up, it looked like it was Myrcella's coat, rather than Cersei's. Nothing would surprise me, that woman stooped to all levels to remind me what a burden and pariah I was to them"..

"But you weren't responsible!" A hint of the old familiar rage bubbled to the surface.

"I know that and you know that. These people were slitting each other's throats for a slice of bread, they were starving and their families were starving. They rounded up anyone they thought had money and we were taken to the town square. We were beaten on and off for a few days until help arrived. I was lucky, some of the others didn't make it. I managed to slip away before the police spoke to me, I did see the perpetrators strung up for it before I left" Her expression was heartbreaking.

Sandor snarled. "If anyone tries to hurt you again, I'll kill them. I won't let anything happen to you". 

Sansa smiled at him. "I know you would. I hope it never comes to that. I've missed you Sandor, where did the last 10 years go? It doesn't feel like you've been away from me."

He motioned to their naked and sweaty forms,  "Ha! We weren't doing this when we knew each other last, I'd have lost my head!" The smile quickly left his lips as he realised he couldn't leave her again. "Would you consider coming back with me? We were seperated once and I'll be fucked if we are parted again". 

She thought carefully. "Is that what you want?" 

"Aye. If I had my way, we'd lock ourselves in my house and never leave". He nuzzled into her neck, illiciting a giggle as his stubbly chin grazed her skin.

"There's a couple of problems with that. Technically, I'm a dead woman!"

"You need to tell people what happened to you. The Lannister's stranglehold of the Country is over. Joffrey, Cersei and Tywin are all dead. We can get you legally brought back from the dead. It's a different world now." He was begging, something which he was unfamiliar with.

She looked mournful as she spoke. "That's what scares me, different doesn't always mean better. I've been hunted before, Sandor. I'd love to spend more time with you but I can't go back to being scared all the time. I barely escaped with my life last time. I can't be around people anymore, I can't leave Winterfell. I'm terrified". Sansa's voice was barely more than a whisper.

His grey eyes were glinting,  "It was easy enough to break you from the cage the Lannisters held you in. I can't beat people bloody to free your mind from the prison you've built yourself over the last 10 years. You'll need to trust me but we can do it. I'm not leaving you Sansa. I won't go home without you."

Her face softened. "What about Grey Wind? Direwolves aren't wecomed down South".

Before he had a chance to answer, a voice behind said, "I can help you with that".

Sansa grabbed a throw and hurriedly covered them, Sandor cursed. They sat up and looked around. Stood in the doorway was a man with long dark hair with a light streak at the front. The man tactfully averted his eyes and stared off into the distance.

The smaller figure at the man's side was clad in brown trousers and a heavy dark overcoat, a glint of a thin blade hung at hip level. A scarf shielded the face from the cold outside but they could see brown hair sticking up around the scarf. As a hand moved the scarf to the side, Sansa cried out in shock as she recognised the face before her. Sandor moved to lunge towards them but Sansa placed a hand on his arm.

A smile played on the figure's lips before she spoke again. "Hello, sister. Long time no see".


	7. Arya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello :)
> 
> I've decided to tentatively extend this fic.

"Arya?"

The name hung heavy in the air. Sansa's eyes were still widened from the shock. 

"Sansa. We'll give you a minute to wrap whatever this is up. Come on Jaqen". Arya inclined her head towards the kitchen and they moved quickly from the room. 

Sansa slumped back against his chest with a thud. "She's alive! She's here. Where's she been all this time?" She clung to him, squeezing him as close to her as much as her strength would allow. 

"I told you she was alive. You need to ask her. Come on". Sandor peeled himself from her and hurriedly clothed himself. As he turned around, Sansa was almost ready too. "You're the only Starks left, she's your sister". 

"We were sisters. She's my parent's daughter just like I am but we are strangers now". Sansa pecked him on the cheek and made for the door, striding confidently ahead of him.

.....................

"Arya. Jaqen. I will dish you up some stew and tea. Quite how you made it here in this weather is astonishing." Sansa rushed past the seated figures at the table and placed ladles of the stew in some chipped bowls. 

"I can't say I like what you've done with the place. It's been so long." Arya added quietly, she seemed to be raking in every detail of the interior, looking like she was trying to reconcile the Winterfell of now to the Winterfell of her childhood. 

Sandor saw Sansa bristle, even though her back was to them. 

"We have the Lannisters to thank for that." He didn't need to see her face to know that she was speaking through gritted teeth. 

"Ah yes, your beloved golden heir apparent, Joffrey. My one time intended brother in law. " Arya threw the comment in casually. 

"Beloved? He was a monster from a powerful and evil family." Sansa turned to face them.

"I know. I told you that after you met him, didn't I? But would your stupid, simpering, wannabe high society self listen to me? No! They had Mycah killed for play fighting and they would have had Nymeria killed too for defending me!" Fire burned bright in Arya's grey eyes. 

"I know! Unless you've forgotten, my Lady actually did die! Thank you so much for bringing that up again". Rage simmered in Sansa's blue eyes and her words dripped with sarcasm. A slow burn that could become volcanic at any minute. She banged the bowls of stew down before the guests and went about making tea. Sandor didn't like the heavy atmosphere that had settled on the room. The man called Jaqen lowered his head and ate with apparent disinterest at the tension between the sisters.

"Yes. You mourn your dear Wolf and neglect the memory of the mere child that lost his life too because of a lie you told!" Arya spooned stew into her mouth hungrily. "He was only barely older than me."

Sansa whirled around and threw the remainder of the loaf of bread on to the table before them. "And do you not think that it haunts me everyday?" 

Arya shrugged. "I wouldn't care to guess what's going on in that head of yours. Was he collateral damage in your quest to get the keys to the castle? A mere blip on the landscape of your perfect life with Joffrey?"

Sansa paled momentarily before grabbing a cup from the the sink and pitched it against the wall. No-one flinched but Jaqen looked up from his bowl. "And what would you have had me do? Call him a liar in front of everyone? Don't you know how bad that would have looked?"

"See? You are capable of telling the truth aloud but he made a liar out of you too. Admit it! You wanted to save face so that your precious Joffrey would want to marry you. Fucking pathetic! All Sansa has every been bothered about is what Sansa wants and needs, none of us ever came into the equation did we?" Arya snarled. 

"Maybe I am pathetic but I didn't let them kill me, did I? How many people can say they evaded the wrath of the Lions? Or would you rather be the last Stark standing, if I am so much of an embarrassment to you? I'm glad you are finally so perfect, Arya." 

"That's just it though. You did survive. Father can't say the same though, can he? Or Mother, Robb, Bran and Rickon. The Lannisters had it in for us the very minute you decided to back them and not your own blood. Cersei Lannister branded me the liar and saw Father as being weak and unable to manage even his own two daughters. We were all as good as dead long before we reached Kings Landing. Everything that happened started with you! You could have told the truth about Joffrey and father would have ordered us home. You knew that though, didn't you?" Arya's eyes lasered into her sister's.

"I don't think this is getting us anywhere..." Sandor interjected roughly. 

"Be quiet Clegane. I paid you handsomely to secure Winterfell discreetly on my behalf, not to fuck my sister and certainly not to interfere in family business". Arya didn't take her eyes from Sansa.

"I...I..." Sansa started. 

"I want to hear it from your own lips that you could have told the truth and that the outcome for all of us could have been so different". Arya pressed relentlessly. 

"Fine! Everything that happened to us is all my fault, are you happy now? I knew that the very minute they had Father killed. Joffrey marched me to very place that they killed him and made me see his body, left exactly where he fell when the bullet entered his skull. They made me look upon his face, his grey eyes already clouded with death. Yes, sister. I have seen only too well the consequences of my lie. I see him everytime I close my eyes. I knew then that I had made a terrible lapse of judgement all those months before. I should have listened to you and told the truth. They told me when Winterfell was sacked and that Rickon and Bran escaped but I know they're dead! They have to be, where would two little boys go, how could they have survived all this time on their own in this weather? They told me they'd killed Mother and Robb because they were asking the wrong questions of the wrong people and getting too close to the truth about the Father's death. Does that satisfy you? I screwed up our whole family and have at least seven deaths on my conscious. I ran away from the Lannisters and came back here, to be surrounded by memories and ghosts. Does that make you feel better now that I've admitted everything you said about me is right?" She pivoted quickly towards the sink and then once again back towards the table. Sandor saw her arm raised and then brought down quickly. She buried a large, sharp knife into the wooden table before her sister. "Now's your chance! Take your vengeance for our family". She pulled the neckline of her shirt down roughly to expose the area above her breast. "Stick that knife in my chest and never come back here again".

...................

Sandor balked at the scene before him. He gripped the table and pushed himself upwards. "No!"

Sansa addressed him without turning to look at him, her posture didn't change, she still held her shirt aside. "Please sit down, Sandor. This is between me and Arya".

He sat down again, unwillingly.

"Do it, Arya. Everything that has happened to us is on me. Do it now." Sansa goaded Arya like a person with a loose relationship with their sanity. Arya sat impassively at the table, her hands still clutching a spoon and bowl. 

"If I wanted you dead, sister, I could have killed you in ten different ways and you would never have seen me coming. Now put your clothes straight and sit the hells down." Arya placed her spoon in her empty bowl, pushing it gently to one side. "Gods wept, Sansa. You always had a talent for theatrics but I can see that the years have allowed you to up your drama game".

"Don't you dare mock me, I am serious. So serious". Sansa remained still, her hands holding her clothing to one side. Once again, her eyes locked on to Arya's and she showed no signs of fear.

Sandor watched horrified as Arya stood and grasped the knife with her hand, pulling it quickly from the table. As he lunged over to grab it from her, she flicked her wrist deftly, sending the knife spinning in the direction of a side door. Sandor turned and saw that it struck the only bubble in the paint in the door. Arya hadn't looked before she threw it. Sansa looked agape. "That paint bubble has always annoyed me, now I've fixed it. As I said, if I wanted you dead, you would be dead. Now straighten up and sit down. I won't say it again". Arya sat back down. 

Sansa released her grip on her shirt and sat slowly. 

"We have much to discuss and many years to catch up on. Sandor Clegane, that includes you too." Arya smiled and for the first time, it reached her eyes.


End file.
